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Zenefits

Review by RAECHEL CONOVER
Updated December 19, 2023

Zenefits provides an easy-to-understand way to manage all your HR processes and people. From recruiting to performance management, Zenefits has all your HR needs wrapped up into a straightforward interface. A host of add-on services allow you to create the exact plan you need by adding them to any of Zenefit’s three basic plans.

Pros

  • Compliance management tools
  • People analytics through dynamic org charts
  • Available performance management tools
  • Independent contractors are cheaper
  • Employee self-service available
Cons

  • Add-ons can get pricey
  • Must pay for at least five employees
Zenefits logo
Best for compliance support
4.5
Features
5
Pricing
5
Support
4
Reputation
4

What is Zenefits?

Zenefits provides a whole suite of HR integrations for small to mid-size businesses. The cornerstone offerings include payroll, benefits, compliance, and people management, but the company provides much more. As one of the most comprehensive HR services we reviewed, Zenefits also offers recruiting, performance management, employee scheduling, onboarding, and more.

Zenefits offers three basic plans plus a handful of add-on services you can use to create a plan that covers what you need the most. Pricing is entirely transparent; you know what you’re getting without speaking to a sales representative. A company must have at least five employees to use Zenefits, and the company also offers a contractor/freelancer track at a discounted rate.

Reviews are mixed for Zenefits. People who love the software really love it, and those who don’t have much to say. For example, some reviewers say it’s the perfect one-stop-shop for all your HR needs, and it’s easy to navigate, while others say it’s glitchy, takes forever to get set up, and has a significant learning curve. Our recommendation: take advantage of the free demo and self-guided tour to decide if it’s a good fit for your company.

Is Zenefits legit?

Zenefits was founded in 2013 and has since grown to support 10,000 businesses and non-profits, 400,000 employees, and over 50 integrated tech partners. Its mission is to level the playing field for small to mid-size businesses through innovative and intuitive HR and payroll software.

zenefits onboarding screenshot

Set up automated new employee onboarding. Source: Zenefits self-guided tour.

How much does Zenefits cost?

Zenefits plans start at $8/employee/month.

Starting price:
$8 per employee per month
Free trial:
Not available
Free version:
Not Available
Zenefits Pricing & Plans
Essentials Growth Zen
Starting at $8/employee/mo Starting at $16/employee/mo Starting at $21/employee/mo

What’s included in every Zenefits plan? Zenefits has three basic plans: Essentials, Growth, and Zen. Starting with the Essentials plan, you get onboarding, employee management, scheduling, time tracking, a mobile app, and analytics. When you move up to the Growth plan, add people analytics, compensation management, and performance management. The final plan, Zen, includes everything in the first two plans, plus employee engagement surveys and a people hub.

There are several add-ons to choose from that can be added to any plan. These include payroll, benefits administration (using your own broker), recruiting, and advisory services.

zenefits recruiting feature screenshot

Recruiting is an add on feature. Source: Zenefits self-guided tour.

Which features does Zenefits offer?

HR Software Features
Hiring and onboarding
Benefits administration (add-on)
Employee scheduling and time tracking
Payroll (add-on)
Employee records management
zenefits employee scheduling screenshot

Employee scheduling is included in all plans. Source: Zenefits self-guided tour.

Other notable Zenefits features

  • Advisory services
  • Recruiting (add-on)
  • Mobile app
  • People analytics
  • Compensation management
  • Performance management
  • Employee engagement surveys
  • People hub
zenefits payroll feature screenshot

Payroll is also an add-on, and using it you can complete payroll in three clicks. Source: Zenefits self-guided tour.

What types of support does Zenefits offer?

Data Migration
1-on-1 Live Training
Self-Guided Online Training
Knowledge Base
FAQs/Forum
Email Support
Live Chat
Phone Support

Zenefits user review highlights

We analyzed 1,656 user reviews about Zenefits from four third-party review websites to provide this summary.

Zenefits is one of the most robust HR software we reviewed; however, it gets mixed reviews. Common gripes include waiting hours on hold for customer service, the live chat feature often being unavailable, and a consensus that it takes forever to get issues resolved. Other problems include reports not agreeing with each other, trouble with setup, a big learning curve, poor integrations with current software, and glitchy software.

On the other hand, reviewers that find a lot of value in Zenefits say that the customer service representatives are very nice and go above and beyond to help you resolve issues. Reviewers also find many features solid programs, such as automatic onboarding, payroll, PTO tracking, and hiring. Users also express satisfaction with the modern and easy-to-navigate interface.

  • Ease of Setup – Zenefits reviewers report a significant learning curve and a time-consuming setup process.
  • Ease of Use – Zenefits get mixed reviews, with some saying that it’s a modern and easy-to-navigate UI, while others find it not very intuitive.
  • Features – Users appreciate the onboarding, automated payroll, and benefit features.
  • Quality of Support – While there are complaints about customer service wait times, most reviewers agree that the customer service representatives are very friendly and try to be helpful.
  • Value for Money – Users that like Zenefits find it a good value for the cost, saying it increases their productivity, and even with recent plan structure changes, it’s still a better value than most comparable services.
zenefits integrations screenshot

Many integrations are available with popular HR software from the entry level. Source: Zenefits self-guided tour.

Zenefits Contact Information

Parent Company:
Trinet
Headquarters:
Tempe, AZ
Year Founded:
2013
Website:
zenefits.com
Facebook:
facebook.com/zenefits
Twitter:
twitter.com/zenefits
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/zenefits
Instagram:
instagram.com/zenefits
TikTok:
tiktok.com/@zenefits_hr
YouTube:
youtube.com/user/zenefits

Zenefits alternatives

Software Starting Price B2B Reviews Score
Zenefits $8 / month / employee 4.5
GoCo $5 / month / employee 4.3
Namely Request a quote 4.3

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